Page 26 of Protecting Clove (Loved by the SEAL #5)
T he first night, Clove had an issue getting sleep, but by the third night, she was sleeping like a baby.
Bud had a security system installed in his place, too, that was just like hers.
She had the application sending her information about this place now, so she wasn’t keeping track of her side of the duplex. Thario was, though.
She was headed to Thario’s place to meet someone Bud thought was important. She wasn’t really sure who they were, but she trusted Bud.
The woman who opened Thario’s door seemed very nice. She welcomed in both her and Neo then knelt next to Neo.
“My name is Caroline. What’s your name?”
“I’m Neo. This is my mom, Clove. Thario is good with computers, are you?”
Caroline shook her head. “I can get around if I need to, but I’m good with chemicals.”
“Like a chemist?”
Caroline nodded. “Yes.”
“When I found out salt was made of sodium and chloride, I freaked out for a day, but my mom got me a book about chemical compounds, and I learned that table salt isn’t toxic.”
Caroline’s eyebrows rose. “You’re correct. Table salt isn’t toxic. Though you shouldn’t overeat it.”
“Then I had to look up each chemical in the cleaning products we used. I made Mom switch to using different products because I didn’t know how the chemicals interacted.”
“Interesting. How old are you?”
“I’m five. The school made me take a test, and I get to go to a special school next year instead of regular kindergarten. I would have been bored.”
“I bet. If you ever have any questions about chemistry, I’d be happy to help.”
“Are you two talking chemistry?” The man who had to be Caroline’s husband asked as he stepped inside from the back deck. “I’m Wolf. I’m helping Thario grill burgers. I hope you like to eat.”
Neo flashed a smile. “I do. Though I like hotdogs better, even though they aren’t the best for me.”
Wolf’s smile widened. “We do have a few hotdogs on the grill for you.”
“That’s good. So, what type of wolf is your favorite?” Neo asked.
“The big ones,” Wolf answered.
Clove chuckled, then shook Wolf’s offered hand. “I’m Clove.”
“It’s nice to meet you.” Wolf’s gaze swung to Neo, then back to her. “We’ll talk later.”
Clove nodded, not wanting to discuss everything in front of Neo.
She was doing better but still had issues with fear.
Frog came in and made a beeline straight to Neo.
He hung out with Neo all night, never leaving her side for long.
She giggled like a child, and Caroline played with her while she and Wolf spoke in hushed tones in the kitchen. Thario listened to their conversation.
“He always wants money, so wherever he is staying, it has to be cheap. He has never paid child support or given me anything. He doesn’t want Neo because he loves her. He just wants me to pay him money. Or worse, he wants to—” A sob cut her off.
Wolf reached out and squeezed her shoulder. “It won’t come to that. He won’t get to her. I’ll make sure.”
She nodded, unable to speak. Neo had already suffered enough. She didn’t want her daughter to see her cry, so she wiped her tears away and forced the pain down.
“Go freshen up in the bathroom. I’ll make sure you have our contact information. It looks like Neo likes Caroline, so it would be good to get together again.”
She nodded, then headed into the bathroom to wash her face so Neo wouldn’t see her crying. She wanted to be solid for Neo, but with Keith out there, it was all so fragile. Bud needed to make it back to her so everything would be good again.